November 2002

Canadian Progress Charitable Foundation

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Considering the CPCF Handbook
By Janey Davies, CPCF Chair

November 1, 2002

Dear Fellow Progressians,

Well, here it is a month since convention and I am still feeling the infusion of the "Power of Progress" that I received there.  It's just like an injection of enthusiasm that reminds one of all the good that we do for our communities and Canada.  To all of you who were a part of this revival, I thank you.  A big thank you to Calgary Bow River for a fantastic convention.  You guys did a great job of educating, entertaining and feeding all of us for the weekend.

I am very pleased to inform you of the wonderful success, once again, of the Canadian Progress Charitable Foundation silent auction.  We managed to raise, through your very generous contributions of auction items and of course purchasing the items, a whopping $6,483.00.  The pin program at convention raised $3,555.00 and miscellaneous donations and collections $2,092.29.  The grand total being $12,130.29.  WOW! Thank you, thank you, thank you.  Remember, you are making dreams come true.

As you know, these funds were raised in support of Canadian Special Olympics.  Which brings us all back to the concerns and questions raised at convention.  I hope the CPCF handbook you received helped to answer these questions.  As stated in the CPCF brochure that has been in circulation for some time, a copy of which was included in the CPCF handbook:

"In the fall of 1987, a proposal ratified by the membership included the recommendation that the Foundation support Canadian Special Olympics…. Funds raised by the Foundation are endowed with only the interest being disbursed on a regular basis to Canadian Special Olympics. This endowment will be a legacy to future generations of Progressians and Special Olympians."

In undertaking our research for the CPCF handbook we were surprised to find no clearly written unambiguous statements about how the endowment would be implemented.  I feel that this reinforces the need for a document that spells out how CPCF will fulfill our current mandate and manage the money that has been raised for CSO.  The proposed agreement between CPCF and CSO was written to serve this purpose.  Before we proceed with such an important commitment I would like to ask the following:

1. Have any funds raised by you or your club and donated to CPCF since 1987 been intended for a purpose other than support of CSO?

2. Do you agree that we should fulfill our commitment to Canadian Special Olympics by way of a written agreement that clearly states we will continue to have control of the endowment fund and will disburse funds by way of biennial payments to them?  The draft agreement is included in the CPCF handbook. (Please note it states bi-annual World Games in the contract and that is incorrect and will be corrected to state biennial—once every two years.)

Please keep in mind that we have been using the name of Canadian Special Olympics to raise this money for nearly 15 years.

1. Do you have any comments on the draft agreement provided in the CPCF handbook provided at the 2002 National Convention?

2. Does your Club agree in principle that the Foundation should seek a new mandate from Progressians to identify a new beneficiary, which could include Canadian Special Olympics at a different level (i.e. National level)?

Should this new mandate be to create a new pool of money to be:

• given to a charity when the goal is reached, or

• held by the Foundation with some part of the income to be contributed to the selected charity?

Please take the time to consider all the options offered with your fellow club members and PLEASE send me your answers to these questions.  I am asking for replies to be sent to my e-mail address j.davies@sasktel.net no later than February 15th, 2003.

If you have any questions, please contact me either through e-mail or call my home or invite your CPCF Governor out to a club meeting to discuss any questions you may have.

We very much want input from all across Canada.  I will be sending this letter out to all club Presidents and I look forward to getting feedback.  Please remember, I am available if you wish to speak with me.

I would like to take this opportunity to thank all the members of the Board of Governors for their invaluable service always, but especially at convention.  Your hard work and long hours certainly paid off.  Thank you.

I would like to close by saying how very exciting it was sitting up at that head table at the CPCF luncheon (thanks Joan & Bob), watching the looks on the faces of each and every one of you that attended the luncheon.  The smiles and tears as you watched Stan Foster sing to the Special Olympic Athletes says it all.  I extend my best wishes to all clubs for a fun-filled, prosperous year ahead.

Yours for Progress,
Janey Davies
CPCF Chair

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